The September 2012 issue of Locus Magazine lists a recent book sale by Patrick Rothfuss to his longtime editor (and 2012 Hugo winner) Betsy Wollheim at science fiction/fantasy publisher DAW Books. The sale is listed as “the first book in a new fantasy series” by the Kingkiller Chronicles author.

It’s unclear whether this will be related to his mega-successful Kingkiller Chroncicles, though I still stand by my guess that he will write a follow-up trilogy to his first series, picking up with ‘present day’ Kvothe/Kote resuming/completing his goal to destroy the Chandrian. There’s a good likelihood that this is what we’re looking at here. Not a suprise that Rothfuss would ink another deal with DAW, but nice to have it confirmed, nonetheless. It also suggest that they’re now looking beyond the final volume of the Kingkiller Chronicles, The Doors of Stone, which is good news.

It’s been a heck of a week for Betsy Wollheim, who recently took home the Hugo Award for ‘Best Editor, Long Form,’ largely on the back of the success of The Wise Man’s Fear.

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I agree that’ll likely be in the same world, but I’m not sure about it continuing Kvothe’s story. That’s what I would think, but in multiple interviews over the years Rothfuss has said that Kvothe’s story will be done by the end of the trilogy and that any follow-up stories will involve other characters.

Of course this could have changed. Hopefully Rothfuss will weigh-in on this soon since it’s starting to go a bit viral.

My actual enjoyment of the present trilogy depends on it ending and having a resolution.

I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed by how little of Kvothe’s quest and ‘legend’ is resolved by the end of the third book. Kvothe is going to lose, fail at his quest, and then run into hiding as a barkeeper, with nothing resolved.

At least, that’s how I see it all playing out. And after an ending like that, DAW would be crazy not to encourage Rothfuss to write a follow-up trilogy detailing Kote crawling from the ashes and properly confronting the Chandrian.

I really hope it’s a follow up trilogy (although I was a bit disappointed by the wise man’s fear) but I seem to remember him saying on his blog he wanted / was going to write some urban fantasy so I wouldn’t discount that possibility either.

Honestly, can you be satisfied with where Kvothe is now? Maybe it’s part of the new gritty, realistic fantasy where highly gifted characters only kind of do something good, but fail to do something awesome. I guess I’m an old fashioned fantasy fan, and in the end I want the good guys to win. I love Joe Ambercrombie’s work, but especially in this case I want the burned out, beat down hero to overcome. I want him to be better than some malicious future telling tree, and actually make a positive difference. I may be brutally disappointed, but there is a reason why I read fantasy, and leaving Kvothe wasting away as a failing nothing of an innkeeper, no matter what he accomplished before, doesn’t jibe with the reason I read fantasy. I truly want a hero, because honestly if I want a guy who tried really hard and found the system rigged against him, I can look at my life, and the lives of other college educated people trying to compete in a global workplace. Patrick, give me a guy who tried, failed, and then overcame. Please. (actually, I really enjoy your writing, and I can’t dictate your vision for your characters, but c’mon, give a brother a break)

This sale was mentioned in PW some weeks back. The contract in question is not for a Kvothe story or set in that world. At least as far as Pat talked the other night when he was over. Four years ago, he agreed to write a novella for someone. When Pat finally sat down to write it, it grew and grew until it became 80,000 words. He sold that book to DAW along with two others. Oddly enough, he still has to write a novella for that other person. It would not surprise me that the story he wrote is likely an urban fantasy since Pat has talked about wanting to write in that sub-genre for some time.

Since he was working on the 80,000 story, I don’t know how much work he’s gotten done on Day Three. I’d say temper enthusiasm that we are seeing it anytime soon.

You will have a short story next year in Unfettered though, a story that could easily be associated with a story-within-a-story-within-a-story nesting that we see in the Kingkiller books. It’s like a poem / song.

[…] Patrick Rothfuss Sells New Trilogy to DAW Books — A Dribble of Ink Speculations include the expected second Kvothe trilogy and a whole new Urban Fantasy series… __________________ I eat grass like an ox and shat like a fox. […]

JuliaNovember 10, 2012 at 4:13 am

Who cares what the next trilogy will be about? Especially if he fails with book 3. Third time pays for all. I am sincerely hoping this is the case. After the long long drawn out nature of the run up to 1) killing a king 2) reinstating the princess (auri?) 3) finding the amyr 4) finding more names to fill out his hands 5) resolving things with Ambrose 6) starting a war? 7) killing an angel 8) finally figuring out denna is a loser (please) 9) purposely changing his own deep name and taking on kote 10) figuring out he is a lackless 11) finally moving forward more than a baby step towards a confrontation to let alone actually having a real confrontation with at least one of the chandrian 12) meeting bast and impressing him enough to become his teacher. The mind boggles at how long this third book will have to be to get all this and more done at the story pacing rothfuss uses.